Five Things: Kathleen Dalton

Kathleen Dalton: CEO of EDGE Government Solutions

Story and Photos by Suzanne Kawola/Life@Home

Kathy Dalton had a difficult childhood. “I spent a lot of time alone and on my own and unhappy,” she says. “So when it was time to pick my own career, I decided that helping other kids who were in the process of growing up the way that I had was something that I could do. I could understand them. I could help them.”

In July, Kathy and her partner Jeff created EDGE (Elegantly Designed Government Enterprises) Government Solutions. It’s largely a women-owned management, consulting and technology LLC. “We believe that government has an important role to play in the community and we believe that government can be efficient and effective,” Kathy says. EDGE’s goal is to help governments improve the business of government.

Before EDGE, Kathy worked for the Division for Youth and St. Anne Institute in Albany. She was also the first woman childcare worker at La Salle School. From working directly with people, she became intrigued with building service delivery systems. She began understanding policy, funding, and federal, state and local relations and how they translated to the people who received those services. “I became fascinated by that,” she says. She explains that it’s important to have people in the community who really understand how services are developed, delivered, funded and supported.

Here are Kathleen’s five things:

1. THE OCEAN:Kathy grew up by the beach. She remembers fun days with her family down by the water, swimming and looking for seashells. “As I got older, that became the place I’d go for solace,” she says. “The sound of the waves … it’s something bigger than you.”

2. MY DOG: Calling to her dog Riley, “He’s my pal and my constant companion,” she says. “He’s just a really good dog.”

3. FICTION: “It takes me away! It gives you an opportunity to be someone else or be somewhere else. I’ve had a very stressful life.” Kathy’s oldest son survived a brain tumor, and she herself has survived cancer. She’s lost jobs and gone through divorce. To escape, she reads, watches movies and television. It’s unfortunate, she says, that people make others feel guilty for spending so much time doing these things. “Am I really supposed to be out jogging or can I just sit here and read Harry Potter?” she laughs.

4. MY PASSPORT: “I love to travel. … I get to see all these great places, taste all this great food, meet all these amazing people. … I just love it.” Kathy’s daughter used to say that some moms collect Hummels, but her mother collects real people. “You never know who is going to be at my dining room table.”

5. MY “WOMAN IN THE MOON” NECKLACE: “I picked this out when I was in my 20s. I can’t even tell you why. And I wear it almost every day.” She most often has it around her neck, even if not visible. But, she can’t pinpoint her attraction to it. “It’s the woman in the moon, as opposed to the man in the moon and, it, I don’t know, touched me. It spoke to me when I was young and it just seems to define me.”